Boris Johnson 'unwisely' allowed Downing Street refurb without knowing how it would be funded, report finds

dailyrecord.co.uk:

officials in how "rigorous" they were at examining the idea of setting up a trust to fund renovations to Downing Street. The Tory Prime Minister can use an annual public grant of up to £30,000 to decorate his Downing Street home, but it has been reported that the renovations at No 11, where Johnson lives with his fiancee Carrie Symonds, reached up to £200,000.

There had been discussions about a Downing Street Trust being set up to pay for the work, before legal advice received in June 2020 "raised doubts" about whether such a body "would be capable of dealing with costs associated with the private residences", said the adviser.